Saturday, November 21, 2015

FROST, FIRE, AND TURKEY



Note:
as you read this post you'll probably notice that my text size and font style inexplicably keep changing. This has been happening to my blog for weeks, and so far everything I've tried to correct it has failed.

Also, the "I" key cap on my laptop keyboard is still broken and I have to go through a slow and painstaking process to insert an "i" into my words. 

Both of these problems have made typing so agonizng and frustrating that I no longer enjoy blogging. It's very diffcult to maintain my chain of thought while constantly struggling to eradicate these annoyances. I'm seriously considering abandoning my blog because of it.
Anyway, here's my latest post:
 

I indulged in one of my greatest passions last night. This is where your wicked imaginations should go into overdrive.

Opera! Not quite as good as sex, but a satisfying facsimile. I watched an entire performance of Die Walkure - a duration exceeding three hours. I was emotionally and spiritually transported to the realms of Valhalla, where I could easily reside forever.

Yea, I know - the subject of opera is a sure way to repel my three readers (bitter sarcasm inserted here), but allow me to vent for a glorious moment.

Wagner's artistic musical imagination and sheer genius for drama is beyond superb. Wotan's Farewell and the Magic Fire Music are so sublimely beautiful that the emotion overwhelms me.
 

Magic Fire Music on a very frosty November night. What could be better?

My personal favorite Brunnhilde?
Gwyneth Jones. I love her.
And Wotan?
Tough choice. James Morris and Donald McIntyre.

There. That wasn't so bad, was it? Now for a change of subject.

My previous blog post  All About Thanksgiving was written two years ago and posted on my old blog Lone Star Concerto. After reading it again, it's not quite as funny as I initially thought (I have a feeling that you agree.....)
but I still think it's good. 
And it's damn true.

 View from one of my bedroom windows

Thanksgiving?
I'll be spending it home alone, with the three pesky cats. I bought a turkey but think I'll save it for December. Why have turkey on Thanksgiving just because tradition dictates it? I might have roast chicken and stuffing. Haven't really decided yet.

Actually, I love turkey - - could eat it once a week, at least. And I always make homemade soup from the leftovers. Smoked turkeys are the very best, but they're expensive. 

I also make homemade pumpkin bread, pudding, and pie. Yea, I can cook.....I'm not just another pretty face.....I love anything with pumpkin in it.
I remember the delicious Mexican pumpkin candy I used to get as a kid on Olvera Street in Los Angeles.

What I like best about the holiday season is the festive atmosphere and the good food. I was never into family gatherings and all the faux unity and kissy kissy crap. Why bother to fake it once a year?

This undoubtedly stems from my parents. They had the most turbulent marriage in history and were complete opposites, but they fully agreed on one thing: they never liked holidays, parties, or inane social gatherings. 
The fact that we lived thousands of miles away from most of our relatives was another factor. We never had to worry about being involved in all the family holiday crap.

So what's happening here on the mountain? Beautiful days, but the temperature is supposed to drop to 15 degrees tomorrow night.(yes, 15 degrees Fahrenheit)I'm sure as hell not looking forward to it. I had to crawl under the house again today to check some things. Didn't scare me half as much as it did the first time. Emerged covered in dirt and cobwebs.

It's presently 3:00 p.m. - getting dark, rainy, windy, and cold. I'm going to make dinner and a cup of tea.

 

 

  
 

25 comments:

  1. My personal favorite Brunnhilde? - bugs bunny
    And Wotan? - elmer fudd

    spouse and I and our neighbor are having sushi and japanese food on TD; we are going to a local restaurant. I despise turkey and the fake "holiday happiness" too. spouse will make himself a turkey breast over that weekend.

    can't wait for 12/21 - winter solstice; the days start getting longer after that! the cold air makes my asthmatic lungs hurt.

    I would LOVE to try your cooking. you would make someone a nice husband.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you said I'd make a nice husband, instead of a nice wife.........I have my pride, ya know.....

      Delete
  2. Actually, roasted chicken sounds splendid. I'll admit, I'm surprised (and pleased) to know you cook. (Not so sure WHY that pleases me, since I'm not exactly in a position to drop in!)

    I love anything with pumpkin!!! ... but I've not made anything pumpkin-y oh, in about a decade, since DH despises it. This year I'm going to indulge - but settle for store-bought, individual portions.

    Speaking of store-bought, we finally found a restaurant open on Thursday that allows their patrons to order anything from the menu. (Yay.) I don't exactly loathe turkey, but I'm seriously turned off by the sight of raw fowl. On the other hand, I could probably eat my own weight in cold smoked turkey on black bread with lots of mayo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm delighted to know you're a pumpkin fan. I've been cooking for a looong time (so to speak....).and I'm a pretty good cook. The problem is - now that I'm entirely alone - I don't enjoy cooking as much as I used to.

      You're making me hungry for smoked turkey on black bread (I LOVE mayo) - - but unfortunately I now live in White Bread Territory. Rye bread is unheard of here.......

      Delete
  3. That's a pretty view from your bedroom window. I think it is suppose to get down in the low 30's here tomorrow night. I'm hoping for colder weather it has been so wet and hot here. I'm still undecided what to do on Thanksgiving we probably will stay home and I will cook up something. I think my daughter in law and her mother and the two grandchildren wants to come over. They are having Thanksgiving at her house today and at church tomorrow I would think they would have had enough celebrating. :-) Take care. Jean

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I personally think it's best to stay home on Thanksgivng. Whatever you decide to do , I hope you have a very enjoyable day.

      Delete
  4. Get yourself an external USB keyboard and plug it into one of your computer USB ports. Walmart has several listed on their website for less than $10. They will ship it quickly for free to your local store. Your local store might even have one already in stock. Surely it is worth $10 to you to not have the frustration with the missing 'i' key.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great idea - and I don't seem to have any other choice (I don't want to buy a new computer).
      This cursed "I" key seems to be unfixable and it's truly driving me CRAZY (or even crazier than I already am....)

      Is "unfixable" a word??

      Delete
  5. Jon,
    You certainly have an artist's eye for color with your pictures. I would LOVE to have some turkey this Thanksgiving but I haven't figured out how to accomplish that task. Every year I see the homeless line up for a free Thanksgiving dinner severed out of those aluminin trays. That turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy looks SOOO good. The thought has crossed my mind to sneak into one of those lines. I could go to a restaurant but they charge something like $60 for a full Thanksgiving meal. I would never pay that price no put myself into a situation where I have to hear screaming kids, which I am sure will be at any restaurant at Thanksgiving. My annual dilemma.
    Ron

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ron, I truly love turkey dinners. It's a shame that Bill doesn't like it. Perhaps you could compromise. You could probably purchase some turkey legs and/or breasts and make them for yourself with stuffing and cranberries. And Bill could have something else that he's enjoy eating.
      I personally don't care to go out to eat on Thanksgiving.
      Whatever you decide to do - I hope you have an enjoyable day!

      Delete
  6. Jon, I love opera because it has a dreamlike logic all its own --like us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right on target, Geo.
      I always have a dreamlike quality - - but my logic is limited........

      Delete
  7. Are you one of those really SERIOUS Wagnerites who are reduced to mush at the sound of ANY of his music. I think you know the kind I mean - and there are an awful lot worldwide in that particular 'club'. I used to know one (he died 3 years ago) who'd be brought to tears by virtually anything he wrote. Quite embarrassing once when we went to Berlin together, and sitting beside him for both 'Das Rheingold' and 'Siegfried'. He could hardly keep still he was so moved. (Btw: The conductor, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, was booed by a large part of the audience on both occasions!)
    I can quite easily listen to Wagner but it doesn't touch my deeper levels which it clearly does for some people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ray, Wagner has the uncanny ability to reduce EVERYONE to tears. Some hardcore Wagnerites cry from sheer emotion and enthrallment. Others cry from the absolute agony of having to sit through an seemingly endless and pointless opera.

      I admittedly appreciate Wagner's music much more now than I did when I was young - - but I was never completely obsessed by it. I have to be in a Wagner "mood". Since I am a deeply emotional and sentimental person, I am often moved by the beauty of some of his music (not all of it). I am not particularly "into" legends, myths, or folklore - but I love the humanistic emotions that are incorporated into his operas.

      If my computer keyboard was working properly I'd elaborate, but I've probably said enough.

      Delete
    2. Jon, liking (some of) it without being obsessed just about sums it up for me too. I found it oddly 'entertaining' how some can be reduced to blubbering fleshy masses by virtually anything of his. I don't think any composer at all does that for me as a rule. There are occasional pieces for sure, occurring for me most frequently with Beethoven. But when it happens it's only momentary and not for complete opera-length periods.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous beat me to the suggestion of getting an external keyboard. My only addition is you probably don't have to pick one up at Wal Mart but could have it shipped directly to you. I'm not sure what your mailbox situation is up there on the mountain so that may not be a more desirable solution. I'm sure Amazon, Best Buy, etc., also have them.

    Your post reminded me to ask you if there are any contemporary artists (I'll include anything from the 50's onward) that you enjoy. You never write about listening to the recordings that were popular when you were a teen or young adult.

    Staying home for Thanksgiving. We just got dumped on with snow and rain is predicted for later this week. The roads are going to be ugly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to drive to town before Thanksgiving, so I'll check and see if I can get a keyboard then.
      I've always loved such a wide range of music that it's almost impossible to pick specifics - I'll have to write a post about it sometime. That would be an interesting topic of me to ponder. How about King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens,........

      Thanksgiving s a good tme to stay home and snuggle.

      Delete
  9. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to go to the Met in NYC to see the Zeffirelli production of Turandot and my toes are still curled. What wonderful excess! Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would love to have been there!!! Turandot is my all-time favorite opera - - my only deep regret is that Puccini didn't live to complete it. The Zeffirelli production is definitely the best. I saw it once with Eva Marton in the title role.

    ReplyDelete
  11. All the talk about pumpkin at the first of your entry made me laugh. My daughter is giving her precious dog pumpkin every day to put fiber in her diet. She was run over by a car and had surgery, amputated her tail and I don't know what all. Well Ms. Paula thinks if it's good for dogs---Yuck my can of pumpkin is still in the fridge. Ms. Paula still needs fiber in her diet. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I never previously associated pumpkin with fiber, but now I will. You've given me food for thought.

      Delete
  12. I do love the colours of autumn Jon and those pictures are particularly vivid and beautiful. We fell in love with pumpkin pie when we lived the the US and still make one every now and again here in the colonies. At first when I read about your 15 degrees I though "that's not cold at all" as 15C is 59F and then I realised that you're talking about 15F. Yikes. Have a good thanksgiving - it's tomorrow isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear from you, Craig. I can't get enough pumpkin pie - or pumpkin anything, for that matter. Thanks goodness our 15F temperature didn't last long - - it's a little warmer now.
      Thanksgiving is on Thursday the 26th.

      Delete
  13. Pumpkin pie is so yummy! But people say I'm weird because I don't like sweet potato. Oh well! To each his own. I'm doing a small dinner here with just my kids and mom. Hopefully it will turn out okay. I'm not big into crowds so I usually stay home. Your thanksgiving sounds nice with you and the kitties. I'm just excited to be able to sleep in on Friday. (I usually have to work.) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not crazy about sweet potatoes, either. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Amanda.

      Delete

I love comments. Go ahead and leave one - I won't bite. But make sure you have a rabies shot just in case.